While you celebrate, remember the cost

While everyone posts photos of red, white and blue swimsuits, cans of beer, and 4th of July trinkets, stop and think about the men and women that gave it all so that you could be free.  Between hot dogs, beers, and sparklers today, take a moment to thank GOD for the freedom you have.

Here are some photos to remind us all of the sacrifices made so the world can be free...

"Thank you" in French.

Yes, Thank you for your service and for my freedom.

A brief overview of the 17th Airborne Division in WWII

    Most of us have heard of the 82nd Airborne or the 101st Airborne divisions, but very few of us have ever heard of the 17th Airborne Division.  There were several Airborne Divisions in the war, and the ones we think about the most are the 82nd and the 101st.  All of them saw combat, some were there for D-Day, and others were there afterwords for other important operations.

    My interest in the 17th Airborne Division came out of the genealogy research I have been doing, and my quest to find out more about my grandfather's service in World War II.  I knew he was a paratrooper, but I had no idea what exactly that meant in his time.
   
    Paratroopers were a very new, and specialized soldier at the beginning of WWII.  Keep in mind that airplanes had only been around for about 40 years at the beginning of the war, and had only been used in the military since about 1909.  The first airplanes (not tethered balloons) in combat would be in The Great War, and those planes were primitive compared to even what was available at the beginning of WWII.  Parachutes, along with stunt jumpers, had existed for some time before the military "caught wind" of the idea.  During the 1930's other countries began to develop airborne units.  It wasn't until 1940 that the United States had its first airborne soldiers.  Forty-eight volunteers made the first jump in the United States in August of 1940.  Soon after that the Airborne units began to form and prepare for war.

    The 17th Airborne division was officially activated in April of 1943  under the command of General William Miley. The division included the Parachute Infantry Regiments, Glider Regiments, Medical Regiments, and various support units.  (I'm sure you are wondering why the Army used gliders.  At the time, there were not parachutes large enough to drop jeeps and artillery guns so the Army used disposable gliders.  These unarmed, engine-less aircraft were silent and made an  lightly armed paratrooper division more deadly to the enemy by providing support that otherwise would not have been possible.)   The paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division would train for months preceding their deployment to England.

    Once in England, they were not utilized for Operation Market Garden as they had arrived too late to be considered.  The Division fought in the Battle of the Bulge and then were withdrawn to prepare for a combat drop into Germany.  Operation Varsity was the official name for the Rhine Jump. Operation Varsity was a success and the soldiers with the 17th were then part of the "occupation duty" before being transferred to France for further deployment.  Many of the men with the unit were on the way to Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped.  The ships were rerouted back to the United States where  the division was dissolved in September of 1945.

   This is a very brief overview of the unit in WWII.  Stay tuned for a more in depth look at the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division.